If you like sailing in windy weather, the Tuesday of Poole Week was a day to savour.
Some love the excitement, the challenge, the satisfaction of a job well done if you get around the course, and the sense of exhilaration and relief when you return to shore for a well-earned beer or two.
Others simply don’t enjoy it, and would rather not sail. There were a fair few of those on Tuesday, leading to rather smaller fleets than we saw over the Bank Holiday weekend. For others it was simply a matter of having to return to work.
The wind did spend quite a lot of the afternoon exceeding 20 knots, with gusts frequently into the mid-20s and once, on the Parkstone Platform, up to 28 knots.
Wind-against-tide conditions kicked up a steep chop in the channels, adding to the challenge on the upwind legs and leading to some white-knuckle rides downwind.
Rolling their way down the runs, the XODs otherwise made light work of the conditions and are still led by John Tremlett and his team in X91, Astralita, now discarding one of their 2nd places from the first day.
Wednesday looks set to be another breezy day. A lot of sailors with bruised bodies and aching muscles will be out there doing it all over again, because that’s what they want to do.
Overall Leaders after Day 3 . . .
Merlin Rocket 9 entries
1st 3724 Steve Tyler and Ally Tyler Parkstone YC
RS200 12 entries
1st 1741 Peter Loretto and Lily Tointon Poole YC
RS400 9 entries
1st 1502 Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin Llangorse SC
Fast Handicap Fleet 6 entries
1st Contender 713 David Evans Poole YC
Slow Handicap Fleet 23 entries
1st Topper 45901 Rosie Keats Parkstone YC
Wayfarer Fleet 8 entries
1st 11420 Jackie Dobson and Sam Pygall Parkstone YC
XoD Fleet 29 entries
1st 91 John Tremlett, Tim Copsey, Fraser Graham Itchenor SC
Dart 18 9 entries
1st 7986 Lido Badawy and Natasha Beavis Parkstone YC
ILCA 6 (Radial) 24 entries
1st Tom Hakes Parkstone YC
ILCA 7 (Standard) 24 entries
1st 6328 Alan Davis Parkstone YC
Dolphin Fleet 11 entries
1st 36 Peter Harris and Gaye Harris Parkstone YC
Redwing Fleet 5 entries
1st 103 Malcolm Bentley and Tom Reynolds Lake Yard
Shrimper Fleet 9 entries
1st 891 Richard Pearson, Tony and Mark Edwards Parkstone YC
Flying Fifteen Fleet 23 entries
1st 3922 Martin Cooney and Mike Barton Parkstone YC
